That feeling of not quite recognising yourself after your baby arrives has a biological explanation. Pregnancy reshapes the structure of the brain, and those changes can still be measured years down the track. What you're experiencing is your brain doing exactly what it's built to do.
If you've ever said out loud that you feel like a different person since becoming a mum, you're describing something researchers can now see on a scan. Understanding what's happening in there changes how the whole experience feels.
In this episode of The Science of Motherhood, Dr Renee White sits down with Dr Elseline Hoekzema, neuroscientist and head of the Pregnancy Brain Lab at Amsterdam University Medical Center, to unpack what pregnancy does to the maternal brain. Together they explore the changes to brain tissue first mapped in 2017, what those changes mean for how you think and feel, and what shifts differently the second time around.
Elseline also works through the questions that flooded in after Renee shared her research on Instagram, covering what might happen with a third or fourth baby, spacing between siblings, pregnancy loss, and what changes for fathers and adoptive parents. She's honest about how much this field still has left to uncover.
You'll Hear About:
- What happens to grey matter during pregnancy
- Why the changes peak in the third trimester
- How a second pregnancy rewires different brain networks
- What the research shows about perinatal depression
- Why your instincts are worth listening to
Your brain has been quietly reorganising itself to meet the exact demands of the life you're now living. Knowing that gives you something solid to hold onto on the days you feel furthest from yourself.
Share this with a friend who's been saying she doesn't feel like herself since having her baby. And subscribe so you don't miss an episode of The Science of Motherhood.
Resources & Links
📲 Follow Renee on Instagram: fillyourcup_
🌐 Learn more about Dr Renee White and explore Fill Your Cup Doula services
🍪 Treat yourself with our Chocolate + Goji lactation cookies
Follow Elseline's and the Pregnancy Brain Lab's work on Instagram: @pregnancybrainlab
Explore the Hoekzema Lab research at pregnancyandthebrain.com
Studies mentioned in this episode
📄 Pregnancy leads to long-lasting changes in human brain structure. Nature Neuroscience, 2017. PMID 27991897
📄 Do pregnancy-induced brain changes reverse? The brain of a mother six years after parturition. Brain Sciences, 2021. PMID 33525512
📄 Mapping the effects of pregnancy on resting state brain activity, white matter microstructure, neural metabolite concentrations and grey matter architecture. Nature Communications, 2022. PMID 36414622
📄 The effects of a second pregnancy on women's brain structure and function. Nature Communications, 2026. PMID 41714315
This episode is proudly supported by Fill Your Cup, Australia's first doula village, with doulas available across Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Hobart and Perth.
Disclaimer: The information on this podcast presented by Fill Your Cup is not a substitute for independent professional advice. Nothing contained in this episode is intended to be used as medical advice and it is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for your own health professional's advice.
